Prior to his UFC 89 bout with Michael Bisping, a flood of pre-event features focused on Chris Leben's transformation from the reckless and volatile cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter 1" to a maturing fight veteran who seemed to be reshaping his life.

But after his unanimous-decision loss to Michael Bisping in the main event of the October 2008 event in England, the UFC announced its internal drug testing had nabbed Leben for taking a banned anabolic steroid.

During a recent appearance on MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), Leben, who immediately fessed up and apologized for using the performance-enhancer, said the episode slowed but didn't derail his progress.